mmm-yoso!!!

Green Acre - a real hidden gem

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk is vacationing, according to solid plans. ed (from Yuma) is relaxing, according to fluid plans. Cathy is blogging, according to general plans of achieving a post for you to enjoy.

Everybody has to eat.  If you are at home and don't want to cook, you go out to a favorite neighborhood place.  If you are at work, there's going to be a place that is close. People don't like to drive very far when they go out, unless maybe for a special occasion. People who work in the "scientist" area of town -near Sorrento Valley and UCSD- where not many lunch options are available, *do* have a great, healthy, tasty option but it isn't easy to find...

This is what you are ultimately looking for.  

Raised bed gardens, in the middle of an Office Park (the Nautilus Life Science Campus area). These fresh vegetables and herbs will be part of your meal, picked that morning.

Straight ahead is the front door to Green Acre.

This is what you see from the parking lot. See the umbrellas to the right?

There are plenty of marked parking spaces, if you'd like to come here for breakfast or lunch and don't work here. It's only open Monday-Friday...like the office park. (I'd be here every weekend if it was open.)

When you walk in, there's a chalkboard listing the daily specials.

There's an area to eat inside, also.

When you are waiting in line to order and pay, the wall advertising other restaurants related to Green Acre- those run by San Diego's Top Chef Season 3 Cheftestant Brian Malarkey, is your only clue that this place is related to those "fabric themed" (Searsucker, Gabardine, Burlap, Gingham and Herringbone) restaurants around town, which are heavily promoted and very popular.

The menu board is hanging above the cash register area, where you order, pay and get a number. Then you take your beverage, find a seat and soon enough, your food is brought to you.  

My first visit here was a meet up with fellow bloggers caninecologne (who posted after that first visit)(two posts, actually)  and Dennis.  Dennis has been here many times, since he works close by (as I said at the beginning...)  

One of the things I really like about Green Acre is that just about everything is recycled and recycle-able.  The paper straws are more than just cute. When you return your tray, the trash area is marked for food mulch, paper and plastic recycling and 'other'.

The food is brought out on jelly roll pans lined with brown butcher/craft paper.  This is Dennis' Grass fed beef burger, topped with leek, slow roasted tomato and Marin County Brie served on a fresh pretzel bun($12) it comes with the fresh-fresh salad, topped with a herb infused dressing...oh, and the pickle is definitely not from a jar. The Russett fries ($3) are served with a 'tomato jam' that tasted more like a marinara than catsup...The fries are quite nice.

caninecologne was not going to let this long drive North go to waste and ordered two full meal items.  She took home more than half of each. This is the "Drunken Mary" panini-a chicken salad made with smoked almonds and  brandied cherries ($7).  I had a taste and it was really good. The side salad, again very fresh-fresh was very good.

This is caninecologne's other main course meal- the 'Corn Cobb' ($9). A very nice, very large, very fresh Cobb salad,  made with  chicken, avocado, bacon, cheese (she asked for a substitute of the standard Bleu cheese) and topped with a corn vinaigrette. This was very good. 

My salad- the 'Nice!'-(a play on Nicoise) ($10) Lightly seared albacore, a perfect soft boiled farm egg, and instead of beans, fresh peas and instead of potato, freshly fried potato skins on top: whatever is fresh and in season... The lettuces, tomato, vinaigrette were memorable as to their freshness. 

I had to bring The Mister here, so one weekday in April, we drove out here (it's easy, take the 5 to Genessee, go West two lights to John Jay Hopkins, turn (you can only turn North) and the first street is General Atomics Drive- the first building on the right -go behind it through the parking lot).  I decided to try one of the items from the "Brick Oven Bar"- a 'Purist' half pizza($6).  Again, it comes with the salad, all on the brown paper lined jelly roll pan. A simple, perfectly baked mozzarella/basil/tomato pizza.  This combination is *so* good, I didn't want to stop eating it and am glad I only ordered a half...just to appear polite. 

The Mister ordered the Nice! salad, based on my incessant obsession with my previous experience (this version had a few small potatoes in it, so no potato skin toppers;potatoes were able to be harvested) and also ordered  a Daily Soup ($4), which this day was a wonderful vegetarian spring root vegetable chowder.  This hit the spot with the slightly chilly overcast outdoor seating spot we chose. It was a nice blend of root veggies and kale, not too spicy and not a thick broth, but a very flavorful one.

We've tried other menu items here.  The breakfasts are pretty basic (omelettes, wraps and paninis as well as yogurt and fruit cups) and extremely fresh. The menu is small and changes based on what is available.   Green Acre serves very fresh, very high quality food without any hype.  I really like it here.

Green Acre 3535 General Atomics Court San Diego 92121 (858)587-6601 M-F 8am-6pm  Website

 


  

Cafe Marché - Bird Rock/La Jolla

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, written by a few friends: Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy do the majority of posts here, but a few others have helped out as well.  Today, it's Cathy's turn to write while the guys are 'researching' in various parts of the USA and world.

It's that time of year when The Mister and I just get in the car, drive and stop when one of us is hungry. The other day, we found ourselves in South La Jolla on the fairly new La Jolla Boulevard that has added circles in the middle of the road, so you have to drive slowly, zig zagging at 15 miles per hour, instead of stopping at every corner.

It's the area commonly known as Birdrock.

As I drove slowly, we saw this- Café Marché.  It used to be a different restaurant where we had never stopped.  This time, I found a parking space (the parking lot has green lines painted in it, but is labeled 'Customer Parking Only' and not '15 minute parking' as are green lined spots on the street).

I didn't get a photo of the counter when we walked in, but a good variety of freshly prepared deli items and flavored popcorns are available to grab and go.  

 

We sat near the front, and had a nice view of the painted Bird Rock on the wall.  The breakfast and lunch menus were brought to us.  

 

 

 

The Mister ordered coffee ($2) and a thermal pot was brought to him. It was a very good, fresh brewed French roast coffee.

The Mister's order came with a 'small salad', which was quite large and served with a very nice herbed balsamic dressing.  

Short story: The Mister and I had just been reminiscing about late night stops at Denny's after the UGLi (undergraduate library) closed, and how we always ordered a "Super Bird", a sort of Monte Cristo sandwich...

So, when the Monte Cristo Crépe ($8.50) was on the menu at Cafe Marché, He had to order it.  I must say, this was *wonderful* and had a good amount of ham and turkey and cheese inside the *very* perfect, thin and flavorful crépe.

When I looked at the menu, I could not decide, asked what the soup of the day was and was told that in addition to French onion, the 'soup' was actually a chili. ($5).  I had to try it and was very, very happy I did. Our  (very nice and attentive) Waiter said it was his Mother's recipe...and I want that recipe!  Ground beef, black, kidney and garbanzo beans, corn and a perfect blend of spices, topped with cheese and a dollop of sour cream and...a perfect meal.  It was accompanied by grilled Focaccia, which was so very fresh and apparently what is used for sandwiches here...sandwiches which I'll order next time. 

What a great place.  So glad we stopped here.

Marché Café 5550 La Jolla Blvd La Jolla CA 92037 (623)332-3505

Coffee, Bagels &Crépes - Alpine

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog about eating experiences. Today, Kirk is busy, ed (from Yuma) is busy and so Cathy is writing.

In early April, I had to be in Alpine a couple of times and noticed this small, new place had opened, right next to Alpine Liquor on Alpine Boulevard. I stopped once, enjoyed a fresh bagel snack with coffee and made a note that The Mister needed to be with me the next time I was driving out there.

Early one morning, we drove out here again and I had the time to pay attention to details.

The 'front desk' is an old coffee cart.  I say old, because it has inspection stickers on it dating back to 2005.

There is a menu you can see from the front of the cart when ordering, it has prices.  This is the side of the building with a handicap access ramp and the priceless menu.  Turns out that Coffee, Bagels & Crépes opened on April 1.  

There is a selection of coffees in pump pots and this morning I asked for the boldest one. The coffee here is good.  The Mister ordered a breakfast crépe ($5.50) and before even taking our money, the friendly owner turned around and began measuring and mixing crépe batter for us.  What service.

What freshness!  See those orange egg yolks?  There was crispy, nicely flavored bacon and cheese inside this light, slightly sweet fresh crépe batter.  The topping was a ribbon of basil sauce.  This was quite large and so very fresh.

When we saw that the owner was making a batch of crépe batter, it seemed natural to order a second crépe. 

Yes.  Why not a Nutella® and banana crépe?  It was breakfast after all...

The cross section- the banans inside the crépe were warm and the ones on the outside were still cold; a nice contrast.  A nice breakfast outside in Alpine.  We will be returning for lunch. Soon.

Coffee, Bagels & Crépes 2250 Alpine Blvd (next to Alpine Liquor, at Marshall Road) Alpine, CA 92101 

Sister Pee Wee's Soul Food

My lunch at Red Rooster Catfish put in the mood for some fried chicken or pork chops. It also triggered a bit of nostalgia. During the mid to late 90's I did a bunch of consulting stints in Arkansas and Georgia, managing to stop by Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina during the over year and a half I spent in the area. It was a big change for the boy from Hawaii. And while I sorely missed all the good grindz and Asian food.....I recall the folks I work with taking me to a "Japanese" restaurant in Columbus, Georgia that served converted rice....yep, good ol' Uncle Ben! I did gain an appreciation for the hearty, soulful, food.

With that in mind, I decided to hop down to Sister Pee Wee's on Imperial. The last time I'd been here was probably back in 2001. Still, the exterior of the place looked the same.

I think the interior has been changed a bit, though it's hard to put my finger on what exactly it was.

I know there must be at least a couple more bumper stickers, photos, or memorabilia on the walls....

The cherubic, friendly, and smiling gentleman greeted me with a big grin and a "you're early, you must be real hungry today!" And of course there was Sister Pee Wee, peering out from behind the counter.

A couple of things you ought to know about Sister Pee Wee's, the place consists of a single counter, with maybe ten chairs or so, it's cash only, and if you want to know what Sister Pee Wee is serving, you need to check out the grease board, either outside, or the one hanging behind the counter.

The last time I was here, over a decade ago, it was the smothered pork chops. Today, I went with the fried chicken, with all (3) the sides ($10). Sister Pee Wee asked me if I wanted some fruit punch, but I decided to do without all that sugar; I'd be getting enough calories as is.......

I really took to the concept of "meat and three" when working down South. And why wouldn't I? Doesn't this kind of look like a plate lunch?

In terms of the sides. The green beans were typical canned and cooked, the gravy was nice, but the rice a bit hard. I really enjoyed that potato salad, tangy and creamy, it really did well by me.

I was warned that the chicken was going to take 15-20 minutes, which didn't bother me...this isn't KFC! The batter was crisp, with the flavor teetering on the edge of salty without tipping over. The meat.....all dark meat I'm glad to say was very moist. It was good basic eats, nothing fancy, but I really didn't want nor expect more then decent grindz.

Since I was the only person in the place, Sister Pee Wee came out front when I was almost finished with lunch. We had a nice chat....well really, Sister Pee Wee did the talking, I did the listening. Last time I was here, she told me about adopting some kids. Today it was about driving up to Yuma to go fishing. Sister Pee Wee has been doing this for over 30 years......there's lots of stories to keep you entertained as I was on this day. Just like the menu, you never know what the special (story) of the day will be. That's part of the experience here.

Which for some obtuse reason got me thinking about that Japanese restaurant serving Uncle Ben's. Wonder what the sushi was like? Well, perhaps I'd better not...I shudder to imagine!  Now the world has gotten a lot smaller since then and things have probably (hopefully) changed. But there are some things that shouldn't and hopefully won't....... like Sister Pee Wee's.

Sister Pee Wee's Soul Food
2971 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102

Posted Hours (I understand that they'll close when they are out of food):
Mon - Fri 8am - 7pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

 

Frog Legs and Snapper from Red Rooster Catfish

So there I was on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon, exploring the empty Jacob's Center off of Market.

There's absolutely nothing going on here on Saturday about 1130, so why the heck was I here? Well, I was searching for a rooster....not any rooster, but a Red Rooster, a place named the Red Rooster Catfish. I'd heard about this place from two different people. One of them gave me the address 404 Euclid, which looked real nice on the GPS. It's not until you look around a bit that you realize that 404 Euclid is actually the Jacob's Center, which is set a good distance away from Euclid, with the main entrance on Market.

Which left me wandering around the Jacob's Center with some major doubts about finding the Red Rooster. There was nothing that even looked close to a restaurant.

Until I turned a corner........

And saw this sign in the window......

And it still fooled me enough that I went around the corner thinking there'd be door to a restaurant or somethin'.

Which was not happening.

It's then I realized that this take-out window was the place and the two tables were it!

So I went back to my car and drove to this side of the parking lot. At about 1135 the place opened, two girls rushed out of nowhere and got to the window in a flash....I guess this was Red Rooster.

I had exactly what I wanted in terms of the mains in mind.......just about everything on the menu is fried. I just didn't know which side to get. The really friendly and tall gentleman named Joris recommended the spicy fried green beans. So of course that's what I ordered, the 3 sets of legs and fried snapper plate ($14). You should know that you don't rush things at places like this, so I had a fairly quick fifteen minute wait. During which I could contemplate things like....if this is "where mmm kisses aah", would "mmm-yoso" do the same?

I gotta say, these were fried very well. It wasn't 100% cornmeal, so while crunchy, the breading wasn't gritty. On the snapper it was perhaps a little too hard, but well seasoned and nothing to really complain about. The batter holds up rather well, I just can't put away all of that fried food like I used too, so over half of it came home for the Missus to try.

The spicy green beans were crunchy, nicely seasoned, slightly spicy, and went well with the mustard - aioli concoction called "mmm sauce".

The snapper just tasted like it had been frozen for a while, from the rather mushy texture to the fishy-slightly sour taste, it really wasn't my thing.

The frog legs on the other hand were really good. Crunchy, moist, and very mild in flavor. It lacked the rather off sourness of "old amphibian/reptile" and was very pleasant to eat. I saved a, ahem, "nice set" for the Missus who really enjoyed it. Loved the meaty parts where the legs, joined, the ah...well how to put it? I guess it's "where mmm-yoso kissed rump"? Something I'm sure many folks always wanted to see......

I'll be back to Red Rooster Catfish the next time I'm craving some good fried frog legs and perhaps try a good variety of the sides.....most of them fried. Joris is very hospitable and friendly. I hope this literal "hole in the wall" does well. I know they fry well......

Red Rooster Catfish
404 Euclid Suite 119
San Diego, CA 92114
Hours:
Tues - Sat 1130am - 7pm
Sunday    1130am - 5pm

Everything is fried to order. Call ahead at 619-795-8684 if you don't want to wait 20 minutes for your food.

 

Trails Eatery-Breakfast in San Carlos.

Hey there! You've found mmm-yoso!!!, the blog with more than seven years of writings of what Kirk and a few friends eat, drink and do.  Today, Cathy is writing about a recent meal.

As you may know, San Diego County is more than 4200 square miles of land.  More than 70 miles of Pacific shoreline from Mexico to the Northernmost edges of the county and inland another almost 200 miles from the shore to the Easternmost edge of the county.  What we call "East County" is really still the Westernmost one third of the entire County.

This -in the background- is Cowles Mountain, the highest point in the City of San Diego, just South of  Mission Trails Regional Park (the largest municipally owned park in the State of California), in a neighborhood known as San Carlos. The park has over forty miles of hiking, mountain bike and equestrian trails, a rock climbing area, a campground adjacent to a small lake. Many, many people drive to Cowles Mountain daily and hike it, day and night.

Less than a mile from both the Park(which has an entrance from Mission Gorge Road near Jackson) and the Mountain(which is on Navajo at Golfcrest), on the SE corner Jackson Drive at Navajo Road, is The Trails, an eatery serving breakfast, lunch and occasionally, dinner. (See the top of Cowles Mountain to the left all the way back?)

When you walk into the recently refurbished space (the restaurant was featured on an Episode of Restaurant:Impossible), to your left is a 
small area selling souveniers. Yes, this restaurant does have many gluten-free choices on rather large separate menu as well as being close in proximity to the actual Trails and Mountain.

Bright, clean, spacious and inviting.  The Trails has greatly improved.

The condiment choices are pretty much the usual.

On this day, The Mister chose one of the before 9 a.m. weekday chalkboard specials- a multigrain waffle with bacon($4.99).  The waffle was light and fluffy, not heavy or chewy...though you could tell it was a bit 'healthier' and had more fiber than a traditional Belgian waffle.  The bacon was quite flavorful; something I have not expected with thin cut bacon. 

This particular morning was not about a sensible portion nor about low calorie.  I came here for this- the French toast croissant combination, with two poached eggs and one sausage (I could have had two meats and no egg as an option)($7.99). I continue to try and replicate this method of making French toast using a croissant as the delivery mechanism.  The egg is only on the top, the bottom is just toasty, flaky croissant goodness. The sausage is quite good (despite the dark color in this photo).  It's juicy and has many spices in it, making it the perfect counter to the slight sweetness of the croissant.  The eggs, as always, were perfectly poached, with runny, orange yolks.

Coffee is $2.29 and constantly refilled.  In addition to an entire gluten free menu (including GF beer), cinnamon roll pancakes and Elvis Cakes (chocolate chip banana pancakes topped with peanut butter) seem to be a common breakfast order here.  

It's a neighborhood place as well as a destination: just like Mission Trails Park and Cowles Mountain.

The Trails Eatery  7389 Jackson Drive (next to Keils Market) San Diego, Ca 92119  Open 7 days 7 am-3 pm and 5 pm-9pm Wed-Sat.  (Lunch starts at 10:30)  website

 

Trifecta Tavern-another restaurant inside a grocery store

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are reading. It's about food.  Cathy is blogging today: Kirk is busy and so is ed(from Yuma).

After reading about Kirk's post about Whole Foods Market in Hawaii, The Mister and I were curious about 'our' location and when we drove to the La Jolla location, saw it was being remodeled; the parking lot was a mess and signs about a grand reopening in a few weeks were everywhere. We jumped back onto the 5 and headed North, knowing a new Whole Foods had opened at the Via de la Valle exit -the same exit that you take when going to the Del Mar Racetrack.  Signage there indicated '400 additional parking places behind Whole Foods', so we drove into Flower Hill Promenade and found the new parking structure. It was practically empty.

An excellent map of the current and soon to be shops of the mall was just inside the walkway to the 'front' of the parking lot. We walked into the store and straight ahead were a series of hot food trays, and to the right of those were a bakery, grab and go area, a sandwich shop, pizza and deli area and  to the direct right - right from the front door was the Trifecta Tavern. Because every grocery store seems to have an eat in area.

But- this one, inside Whole Foods, also serves a choice of 24 beers on tap, has a nice wine selection, daily specials and a very easy one page menu. It was lunchtime so we didn't choose an adult beverage, but we may share a beer next time.

You seat yourself, but the waitresses are constantly checking the seating and ready to take your order.  Here's a view of the above mentioned area of the store from my seat. 

The Mister ordered the grass fed burger, which comes with fries ($8).  This was *wonderful*.  The bun was light, fluffy, toasted.  The burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had such flavor. The fries were perfectly crisp, not greasy and lightly salted. Even the ketchup, which was just the Whole Foods 365 organic store brand, had a more pronounced, tomato flavor than I have noticed from other brands of ketchup.

I chose to try a bit of everything- the Nosh Plate ($9). Really really good.  Two meats, three cheeses, grilled bread slices, fruit, pickled vegetables and seasoned nuts all served with a house made blackberry mostard.  So nice, filling and refreshing. Being able to try the sliced proscuitto and salame was enough for me to purchase some before leaving the store, along with stopping at the coffee and juice bar and purchasing a small cup of gelato before the drive home.

Whole Foods Market-Del Mar 2600 Via de la Valle, Suite 100 Del Mar, CA 92014 (858)436-9800 open 7 am-10pm, seven days a week

A Happy Hour Revisit to The Lion's Share

The Lion's Share is another one of those places where the starters and apps had always seem to outshine the entrees. Though I've only posted on the place once, I'd eaten there a couple of times since. The Missus had never been to the Lion's Share, so I thought it would be a nice place for an early happy hour. The place can be fairly pricey, but with $2 off draft beer and 20% off appetizers, I thought we could have an interesting meal. A wild cad in the whole situation was that this "gastro-lounge" had changed chefs a while back and I hadn't visited since.

Since there was no one else in the place, we sat in the well lit front area. The bar can be rather dark. There had been an art show during the previous weekend and the work of that artist, somewhat bizarre and dark was still up on the walls. I'm pretty sure it made for some interesting conversation......

We started with the Deviled Eggs ($8 - I'm listing all regular prices, I'm sure you can do 20% off, right?).

These seemed a bit dried out and the first one, with the piment d'Espelette was on the bitter side, like not so great smoked paprika. But it got better as we went down the line. The second is black tobiko caviar, briney, but not too salty, the truffle and prosciutto, the third deviled egg was ok. It was the Quail Confit devlied egg, the fourth one, that was the best.

I was glad that the Antelope Sliders ($14) were still on the menu.

 Cooked to a perfect past medium, these are still my favorite here, though on this visit it was a bit on the salty side.

We both enjoyed the mild gamey flavors, which melded well with the sweet caramelized red onions. Having cooked with antelope has given me a better appreciation for how they manage to keep this moist and fairly tender.

The Duck Meatballs ($14) were our least favorite dish of the evening.

First, the brown on brown, on brown color really didn't look appetizing. Second, though the meatballs were very tender and moist, it was very finely ground, which made it kind of mushy. Third, and the main reason we didn't enjoy this was the over-powering sweetness of the dish. We couldn't get past that.

Much like the deviled eggs, the Exotic Sausage board ($16), got better as you went down the line.

We both enjoyed the charred bread and the rather mellow whole grain mustard. The pheasant sausage (left) was our least favorite. It was very cumin heavy; this coming from someone who loves cumin! It smelled like armpit and sort of tasted like what I think armpit would taste like. The duck sausage (middle) was nice, mild sweetness, and I enjoyed the spices they used in it. The elk sausage was our favorite, slightly gamey, with an enjoyable savory-sweetness. I was told that a port wine reduction is used in making the sausage. Two out of three ain't bad.

Even at happy hour prices, a night of starts and apps at the Lion's Share ain't cheap. The food is on the rich side and on this occasion hit and miss. I'd still return for those antelope sliders and perhaps some kangaroo tartar, or maybe Lamb Tacos de Lengua. Our Server was mellow, friendly, though not overly so, and efficient, though we were the only people in the place.

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours:
Open daily 4 pm - 2 am

Las Vegas: Dinner at Sage

What to do after two lunches in Vegas? Well, I guess a walk up the strip was in order. I parked at Aria, took the tram to the Bellagio, then headed up the strip. At Fashion Show Mall, where the Missus had checked out the latest from Lululemon the night before, I crossed the street and headed back.

On the way back, I decided to kill a couple of minutes at Harrah's, a place where I've had some luck in the past. I ended up making about $200 and decided it was time to flee.....

For our final dinner in Vegas, the Missus decided that we should do sort of a blow-out meal. Unfortunately, just about every place I wanted was booked, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, even Picasso, no bueno. My fifth pick was Sage, in the Aria. I'd heard some nice things about the place and it seemed a lot less assuming than the other four. Years ago, when Michelin Stars and stuff like that really mattered to us, we'd have been disappointed. But after doing The French Laundry, Spago, et al, the Missus and I decided that stuff really isn't for us. Some of it was stuffy and rather pretentious and you can get to the point where you're describing the food like a science project, not my style. But hey.....every once in a while you gotta live, right? And Sage really isn't that expensive.

We arrived right when they opened at 5. Though you might take a risk with the kitchen not being in full swing....they haven't hit their rhythm yet, I still prefer a more relaxed time. And though things might get kind of hectic at the tail end of your meal, you at least have enjoyed most of your meal.

We were the second party seated and our Server, who introduced himself as "Bond, as in you know...." was a pro's pro. He was also quite a character.....we came to find out his name was Jason Bond. Next up was what and how to order. You see, I wanted the Chef's Tasting Menu with the Beer Pairing, the Missus did not. And I understand the issues with pacing and all of that. If you're getting six courses and the person across from you is just getting an app and a main, well there's going to be a lot of dead time for the person having the conventional meal. Again, we plan for the win-win. So when I explained to Mr Bond that only one of us would like the six course tasting, he tried to discourage us from doing that. Until I explained our proposal. I'd get the six course with the beer pairing and the Missus would get five starters. In essence we'd be creating our own little tasting menu. We've often found starters to be more interesting than mains in many cases. Bond got really excited about this and told us it was a great idea, he went to check with the kitchen, who he said was "excited about this". I don't know about that, but we also told him to have the kitchen sequence the starters any way they please....which would mean that it would indeed be like having our own tasting menu.

Things started out with what looked like Himalyan salt and a herb butter. We were shown the bread basket and the two different breads. The serious looking, but really funny young man said, "I think you should each take both." In the end we took one of each. We knew we had a pretty rich meal in front of us.

The sour dough was decent, nice textures. The bacon roll; well, we were tempted to get another.

We were brought an amuse of a Kumamoto Oyster with Tequila Mignonette, and Piquillo Pepper.

The mignonette had a nice tartness to it, very cleansing. Love the sweetness of Piquillo Peppers, I'll probably have to buy some one of these days.

When we had finished up the oyster, the first beer of our tasting arrived. This was a St Feuillien Saison from Belgium. Very crisp, with a nice, almost sweet aroma. This was very easy to drink, light and airy. We also noted that the temperature of the beer was just right on perfect.

This was paired with the Chilled Main Lobster. The brown butter added a nice nuttiness to the dish, making it seem a lot lighter than it was. The Missus is not a big lobster fan, but this lobster was wonderfully sweet and very tender.

The Missus got the Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18).

This was very good. The creamy lightly poached egg yolk just added that extra luxurious texture to the very fatty, melt in your mouth Wagyu Beef. Two interesting touches, the pickled mustard seeds which helped to cut the richness and the savory crisp chocolate made this dish just that much better.

Next up was an interesting dish, the Foie Gras Brulee. Tasting the combinations of flavors in this was rather unpleasant for me as I thought it way too sweet.

Though I loved the salted brioche, the brulee was too much like having candy and pudding for dinner. Great when you're in elementary school, but not after. The cocoa nibs did act to settle things down and take it into a more savory-coffee direction, but it was just too much, until...... I tried this with the beer pairing.

This dish was pared with the Dogfish Head Midas Touch. The Missus loved it as well, it has a mead-like texture and that honey like flavor. There some fruitiness to it and the Missus enjoyed that component....I'm thinking that is probably due to the use of muscat grapes in the making of this. It's a favorite beer of our now. This just seemed to take that sharp sweet edge off the Foie Gras Brulee. To me, this was an awesome pairing.

The Missus got the Grilled Spanish Octopus ($22):

You wouldn't have thought this was octopus if you looked at it. Bond told us they removed the suckers and such so as to "not scare the customers". The octopus was very tender, but this wasn't especially memorable.

My next dish was the Pan-Roasted Sea Scallop. Man, the Jamon Iberico, mild salty-sweet, along with the creamy sunchoke-parsley root, and the olive oil made for a wonderful match.

Scallop and cured pig, a match made in heaven....there should be a children's book by that name, don't you think?

This was paired with another beer from Belgium, Duvel. Very fizzy, clean, with what seems like a bit of spice, this didn't mess with the flavor of the scallops.

The Missus got Her second favorite dish of the evening; the Slow Poached Organic Farm Egg($18), which was almost obscured from view by all the shaved truffles.

The Missus just loved this, even the potato foam and the smoked potato. She was in egg-truffle heaven.

Next up was a very nice Venison Tenderloin. This might just be some of the most tender venison I've ever had.

You could really taste the venison in this dish. The combination of flavors was very pleasant.

Loved the pairing, the Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock looked really heavy, but was not. Has a raisin-chocolate, earthy flavor which goes well with the gamey venison.

Just to prove that there is too much of a good thing, we were stunned at the huge portion size of the Roasted Sweetbreads ($17).

The dish started out really good...especially the sweet and smokey glazed bacon, which was a like a nice smoked pork belly. The sweetbreads were good at first, not the best I've had, they could have been a bit more, well, gooey on the inside. But man, after a couple of bites of this rich stuff, you pretty much wanted to hoist up the white flag. I'd prefer it more lightly fried....and that portion size was quite large for sweetbreads. And yes TFD, these are thymus glands.

Our last two savory dishes were very good. The 48 Hour Beef Belly, was rich, but the roasted quince and the caraway spiced squash helped temper things.

This was served with a Chimay Grande Reserve which was very fruity, perhaps a bit too fruity for my taste.

The Missus's last dish was the Braised Beef Tongue ($19). All I can say is that this was outstanding. Looking all the world like it would be on the waxy side, this was tender to the touch. The celery moved the dish forward by cutting the richness as did the apple cider based sauce. This had the rich, slightly gamey flavor of well made beef tongue.

Our palates were given a nice respite with "Zambuca Caviar".......

Somebody in the kitchen is playing with spherification! I'm usually not a big fan of sweet anise flavors, but this really did the trick.

I really couldn't do much after this so the Missus had the Grapefruit Semifreddo.

Dessert also came with a hard cider, a Eric Bordelet, Sidre Doux Tendre from France which the Missus really enjoyed. I ordered another Midas Touch as my dessert.

The Missus and I really enjoyed our dinner at Sage. The staff made us feel comfortable. When I told "Bond" that we'd be exchanging plates and sharing, he encouraged it. The service was excellent, efficient, but not hovering nor stuffy. We had a great time......the GM of the restaurant even came over to chat. We never felt rushed and the meal was well paced, clocking in at just a tad over 2 hours. The bill wasn't too bad either. I gave you all the prices for the starters. The Chef's Tasting Menu clocks in at $120, the beer tasting an extra $50, so we're talking about $300 total. I'm kind of glad that my other four choices didn't pan out......

Sage in Aria Resort and Casino
3732 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

 

Las Vegas: Around the Strip and Honey Salt

I am without a doubt somewhat of a creature of habit, there are certain "rituals" that I follow......in Vegas after dropping the Missus off, I'll take a walk up and down the strip to see what's new. I'll usually do this in the morning to avoid the crowds. It had been four years since our last trip here and for me, the biggest change was the massive City Center complex.....

Things had shifted a bit since our last visit....there are now a good number of suite-style offerings; larger rooms, small kitchens, away from the hustle, bustle, cigarette smoke, and noise of the casinos.

We actually stayed at the Fairfield, not quite on the strip, good sized rooms, and away enough from it all to kind of chill. It was easy to get to the strip though....the shuttle to the Mandalay Bay, the tram to Excalibur, a short walk through Monte Carlo to the tram station from Aria to the Bellagio.....

Soon enough you're staring at the Paris......

Which was enough time for me to head back and catch the shuttle at New York, New York, back to the Fairfield.

As for lunch; well, I usually go off the strip. I'd heard about a newer place in Summerlin, that did...well, that much too often used description, "farm to table comfort cuisine"......yet it came highly recommended. So I took that 20 minute drive. I'm sure the distance really wasn't that bad, it just seemed that way. The restaurant, named Honey Salt, was tucked away in the corner of  a strip mall.....

Looking very unassuming from the outside, this place was really happening....so many "women doing lunch". It reminded me of places I've been in say, Scottsdale or Buckhead in Atlanta..... The Hostess was very nice telling me they would have a table for me in a few minutes....but I opted for the mellow bar area......

Which must have been fate....I asked the bartender if "it's okay if I sit here...." His response? "Eh, you from Hawaii, huh?" We call "Vegas" the "9th Island", so many visit and so many have moved there...you can't help but run into someone from "home". And once he introduced himself as "Bozo".....I knew he was the real deal. This was going to be a great lunch......regardless of the food.

Anyway, beyond the pleasantries.....there were many of the typical, "whea' you from" discussions..., eventually things headed to the menu. I had a couple of things in mind, Harissa crusted strip steak salad and Big Eye Tuna Tartar with Crunchy Quinoa came to mind. But MrB told me the two most popular dishes, at least on his watch, which led me to order items I would never had considered.

Starting with the Turkey Meatballs ($9).......really, turkey meatballs, when was the last time I ordered these? Try never.....

Caramelized onions and a touch of horseradish added some sweetness and pungency. And though the acid was a bit too much, I gotta say, these were the most moist and tender turkey meatballs I've ever had...literally melting in my mouth. You could easily have mistaken them for veal.

For my main, Bozo told me the Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13) was the best seller.

The chicken was very moist, though I would have appreciated a bit more "crunch" to it. The brioche was mildly buttery without being too sweet. The slaw completed without overpowering and added a bit more texture to the sandwich.

Actually, I really enjoyed the salad....the kale and edamame really balanced things out...to the utter joy of the Missus who eats and juices kale by the bushel.

I actually enjoyed the food here more than Urban Solace......

Of course, during our meal, another "Bruddah" stopped by for take-out....what can you say? In the end this was a nice meal made better by eating at the bar and talking to another ex-pat Kama'aina and also the young lady from South Africa who convinced Bruddah Bozo (in slang that means "Boy"), a third generation "Bozo", that he needed to check out Lotus of Siam soon. I also got a nice tip on grabbing some poke too.......

Honey Salt
1031 S Rampart Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89145